The artificial island homes off the coast of Dubai are wonders of the world. Unfortunately, they seem to be eroding.

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According to Inhabitat:

The World was envisioned as the ultimate luxury retreat: for an exorbitant price you could lay claim to your own private island – a corner of the globe to call your own. The islands were created from displaced sand dredged up from the depths of the sea, however a property tribunal recently cited evidence that the islands have begun to erode and the waterways that separate them are dissolving due to the influx of sand.

Here is concept art by the designers, showing how The World was designed to look like islands in the shape of the Earth's continents.

And here you can see more images of the empty islands, their sands slowly being blown away by wind and other weather. Let this be a lesson in geo-engineering for the rest of the planet: It's not just about building awesome shit; it's about maintaining it.